Cosmetics container and cosmetics kit including the same

ABSTRACT

The cosmetics container is a portable device for storing and organizing cosmetics and cosmetic-related items. The cosmetics container includes an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion includes a longitudinally extending panel, an upper retaining portion, a plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers, and a lower segment. The upper retaining portion is mounted on an upper end of the longitudinally extending panel and has a corrugated surface defining a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses. The plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers are releasably secured to the longitudinally extending panel. The lower segment is mounted on the lower end of the longitudinally extending panel. The to outer portion has a central passage formed therethrough for removably receiving the inner portion. The outer portion includes a plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates, with a plurality of semi-cylindrical shells each pivotally secured between adjacent ones of the plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The disclosure of the present patent application relates to the storage and transport of cosmetics, and particularly to a portable cosmetics container and a cosmetics kit including the portable container as well as a wide variety of cosmetic items.

2. Description Of The Related Art

Both personal users of cosmetics and cosmetics professionals, such as makeup artists, make use of a wide variety of different cosmetic items, such as, for example, lipsticks, eyebrow pencils, foundations, mascara and the like. In addition to the cosmetics applied directly to the recipient, a wide variety of different applicators and tools are used, such as brushes, makeup blenders, sponges, mirrors and the like. Since the working surface of a dressing table is flat and relatively large, there is not a general need for the cosmetics products to be small in size or to be capable of being stored together in a make-up bag or the like. However, when away from the home or a professional environment, carrying and organizing such a large number of items becomes problematic.

A personal user of cosmetics may carry the personal cosmetics products in a handbag or in a separate pouch (i.e., a make-up bag) within a larger handbag. However, it is often difficult to locate a required individual cosmetics product within the handbag or make-up bag, particularly when other personal items are also carried in the handbag. Furthermore, conventional cosmetics products intended primarily for use in a home environment are relatively large, with each product having its own packaging, some of which is intrinsic to the product's use and some of which is protective. Thus a relatively large handbag is required to carry a full complement of cosmetics products. Additionally, some conventional cosmetics products require protective outer packaging (e.g., caps on lipsticks and pencils), which need to be stored while the product is in use.

Professional users of cosmetics, such as professional makeup artists, alleviate such difficulties by carrying and organizing their cosmetic products in large cases, often similar to tackle boxes. Such cases, however, are utilitarian in use and do not give consideration to size or weight, thus making them difficult to transport and store. Further, such cases typically include rows or racks of individual trays for storing different cosmetics, but these trays are meant for general usage and are not designed to conform precisely to the shapes of particular cosmetics products. Thus, the products are often held very loosely, resulting in accidental breakage and spills of the cosmetics. Further, such carrying cases typically use standard full-size cosmetics products and, as such, do not fully cater to the need to provide a compact package which allows a user to access each cosmetics product separately while also retaining the remaining cosmetics products securely in stored positions.

Although there are cosmetics packs on the market which combine different cosmetics products, such as, for example, blushes, eyeshadows, highlighters and powder, thus eliminating some extraneous packaging, such cosmetics packs only assemble together standard cosmetics products. Since cosmetics products are inherently highly personalized to the particular user, and are sold in unnecessarily large sizes, such cosmetics packs are not likely to contain the entire set of cosmetics products desired by an individual and also continue to suffer from the problem of difficult transport and storage. Thus, a cosmetics container and a cosmetics kit including the same solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

SUMMARY

The cosmetics container is a portable device for storing and organizing cosmetics and cosmetic-related items, such as brushes, pens, pencils and the like. The cosmetics container includes an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion has opposed upper and lower ends and includes a longitudinally extending panel, an upper retaining portion, a plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers, and a lower segment. The upper retaining portion is mounted on an upper end of the longitudinally extending panel and has a corrugated surface defining a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses, which are adapted for releasably holding a plurality of cosmetic pens. The plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers are releasably secured to the longitudinally extending panel and are adapted for removably receiving a variety of different cosmetic and cosmetic-related items. The lower segment is mounted on the lower end of the longitudinally extending panel.

The outer portion has a central passage formed therethrough which is adapted for removably receiving the inner portion. The outer portion includes a plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates, with a plurality of semi-cylindrical shells each pivotally secured between adjacent ones of the plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates to define a plurality of releasably covered chambers therewith.

A hollow cap may be releasably secured to the upper end of the inner portion for removably receiving a cosmetic blending sponge. The lower segment may include a cosmetic pencil sharpener. Further, a surface of the longitudinally extending panel may be at least partially mirrored, such that when at least a portion of the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers are removed, the mirrored surface is revealed.

The cosmetics container may be provided with a wide variety of cosmetic items, and cosmetics-related items, to provide a portable cosmetics kit. As a non-limiting example, the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers of the inner portion may be used to hold makeup brushes, makeup containers or color pallets, at least one set of false eyelashes and a container of eyelash adhesive. As a further non-limiting example, the plurality of releasably covered chambers of the outer portion may be used to hold a set of cosmetic mini-pens having different foundation grades, a set of lipstick mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, a set of lip liner mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, a set of mascara mini-pens having a variety of colors and degrees, a set of eye liner mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, a set of eyebrow mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, a set of nail lacquer mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, a set of contour mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, a set of concealer mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, a set of artificial eyelash strips, a set of makeup containers or pallets having a variety of different colors and shades, a container of cosmetic powder, a container of makeup remover, beaded elastic hair ties, makeup masks, a plurality of cotton swabs, a container of hand gel, one or more empty bottles or containers, eyelash adhesive, acetone or nail polish remover, fixer spray and/or a remover pen.

These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cosmetics container.

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded view of the cosmetics container.

FIG. 3A is a partially exploded, partial view of an inner portion of the cosmetics container.

FIG. 3B is a perspective view of an upper retaining portion of the inner portion of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a top view of a pair of drawers of the inner portion of the cosmetics container.

FIG. 4B is a top attachment view of the pair of drawers of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the pair of drawers of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 5A is a top view of another pair of drawers of the inner portion of the cosmetics container.

FIG. 5B is a top attachment view of the pair of drawers of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is a perspective view of the pair of drawers of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6A is a top view of another pair of drawers of the inner portion of the cosmetics container.

FIG. 6B is a top attachment view of the pair of drawers of FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the inner portion of the cosmetics container.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the outer portion of the cosmetics container.

FIG. 9 illustrates a set of cosmetics and cosmetic-related items that may be stored in the cosmetics container to provide a cosmetics kit.

Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The cosmetics container 10 is a portable device for storing and organizing cosmetics and cosmetic-related items, such as brushes, pens, pencils and the like. As best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3A, the cosmetics container 10 includes an outer portion 12 and an inner portion 14. The inner portion 14 has opposed upper and lower ends 60, 62, respectively, and includes a longitudinally extending panel 34, an upper retaining portion 18, a plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers 20, 22, and a lower segment 68. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers may include drawers of different types. In the non-limiting example of FIG. 2, sets of drawers 20, 22 are provided, shown here as being visually distinct with respect to one another for purposes of organization, however, it should be understood that any suitable number of drawers may be used, and that any desired visual separation or distinction between drawers (or sets of drawers) may be used.

As best shown in FIG. 3A, the upper retaining portion 18 is mounted on an upper end 64 of the longitudinally extending panel 34 and has a corrugated surface defining a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses 26, which are adapted for releasably holding a plurality of cosmetic pens 24. In FIGS. 3A and 3B, it should be understood that the number and type of cosmetic pens 24 are shown for exemplary purposes only. Similarly, it should be understood that the corrugated surface of upper retaining portion 18 may be varied in size, shape and relative dimensions, dependent upon the particular types of pencils or pens held thereby. A hollow cap 16 may be releasably secured to the upper end 60 of the inner portion 14 for removably receiving a cosmetic blending sponge 70, as shown in FIG. 3A. It should be understood that hollow cap 16 is shown for exemplary purposes only, as is cosmetic blending sponge 70, and that each may be varied in overall contour, size and relative dimensions.

As discussed above, it should be understood that the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers may be varied in both number and division. In FIG. 2, two sets of drawers 20, 22 are shown for exemplary and illustrative purposes, with set 20 being divided into two pairs of drawers 28A, 28B, and with set 22 being divided into four pairs of drawers 30A, 30B, 30C, 30D. Each individual drawer is shown as having a semi-cylindrical contour, with each pair of drawers defining a cylindrical shell. However, it should be understood that the drawers may have any desired shape, size or relative dimensions. As shown in FIGS. 4A-6B, the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers are releasably secured to the longitudinally extending panel 34 and are adapted for removably receiving a variety of different cosmetic and cosmetic-related items. The plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers may each be secured to the lateral edges of panel 34 by a resilient snap connection, frictional engagement, or any other suitable method of releasable attachment.

It should be understood that the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers may be used to contain any desired cosmetic item or cosmetic-related item. In the non-limiting example of FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, drawers 30, 32 of the pair 28A each contain a respective makeup brush 36, 38. Each drawer in pair 28A and each drawer in pair 28B may include a different type, size or style of makeup brush. In the further non-limiting example of FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C, drawers 40, 42 of the pair 30A each contain a respective makeup container or pallet 40, 42. Each drawer in pair 30A, as well as any or all of pairs 30B, 30C, 30D, may include a different type, color, shade or style of makeup. In the additional non-limiting example of FIGS. 6A and 6B, drawers 48, 50 of the pair 30B contain, respectively, a tube of eyelash adhesive 52 and a set of false eyelashes 54.

The lower segment 68 is mounted on the lower end 66 of the longitudinally extending panel 34 and, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, may include a cosmetic pencil sharpener 71. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a surface 72 of the longitudinally extending panel 34 may be at least partially mirrored, such that when at least a portion of the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers are removed, the mirrored surface 72 is revealed. A light source 76, such as a light emitting diode or the like, may be mounted in the top surface of lower segment 68 for use with the mirrored surface 72. Additionally, a light source 74 may also be provided on a lower surface of one of the drawers (shown as one of the drawers 20 in the non-limiting example of FIG. 7). A rechargeable battery for powering light sources 74, 76 may be received within lower segment 68, with charging thereof being implemented by connection to an external power source through port 78, which may be a universal serial bus (USB) port or the like.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 8, the outer portion 12 has a central passage 82 formed therethrough, which is adapted for removably receiving the inner portion 14. In FIG. 8, the central passage 82 is shown as being cylindrical, matching the substantially cylindrical inner portion 14 of the non-limiting example of FIGS. 1 and 2. It should be understood that the overall contouring and relative dimensions of central passage 82 (and the outer portion 12 itself) may be varied, dependent upon the contouring and relative dimensions of inner portion 14.

The outer portion 12 includes a plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, with a plurality of semi-cylindrical shells 80A, 80B, 80C, 80D, 80E, 80F, 80G, 80H, 801, 80J, 80K, 80L each pivotally secured between adjacent ones of the plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94 to define a plurality of releasably covered chambers therewith. For example, shell 80A is pivotally secured at an upper inner end 100 to plate 84, and at a lower inner end 102 to plate 86, allowing shell 80B to swing from the covered position of FIG. 2 to the open position of FIG. 8 and back again.

The cosmetics container 10 may be provided with a wide variety of cosmetic items, and cosmetics-related items, to provide a portable cosmetics kit, such as the cosmetics and cosmetic-related items discussed above. As a further non-limiting example, the plurality of releasably covered chambers of the outer portion 12 may be used to receive a further set of items 104, as shown in FIG. 9, which may include a set of cosmetic mini-pens having different foundation grades 106, a set of lipstick mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades 108, a set of lip liner mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades 110, a set of mascara mini-pens having a variety of colors and degrees 112, a set of eye liner mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades 114, a set of eyebrow mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades 116, a set of artificial eyelash strips 118, a set of makeup containers or pallets having a variety of different colors and shades 120, a container of cosmetic powder 122, a container of makeup remover 124, beaded elastic hair ties 126, makeup masks 128, a plurality of cotton swabs 130, a container of hand gel 132, one or more empty bottles or containers 134, eyelash adhesive 136, acetone or nail polish remover 138, fixer spray 140 and/or a remover pen 142. Further, it should be understood that a wide variety of mini-pens and mini-pencils beyond the non-limiting examples given above may also be included in the cosmetics kit, including but not limited to a set of nail lacquer mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, a set of contour mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades, and/or a set of concealer mini-pens having a variety of colors and grades.

It is to be understood that the cosmetics container and cosmetics kit including the same are not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the generic language of the following claims enabled by the embodiments described herein, or otherwise shown in the drawings or described above in terms sufficient to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the claimed subject matter. 

1. A cosmetics container, comprising: an inner portion having opposed upper and lower ends, the inner portion comprising: a longitudinally extending panel having opposed upper and lower ends; an upper retaining portion mounted on the upper end of the longitudinally extending panel, the upper retaining portion having a corrugated surface defining a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses, whereby the plurality of longitudinally extending recesses are adapted for removably holding a plurality of cosmetic pens; a plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers releasably secured to the longitudinally extending panel; and a lower segment mounted on the lower end of the longitudinally extending panel; an outer portion having a central passage formed therethrough, the central passage being adapted for removably receiving the inner portion, the outer portion comprising: a plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates, wherein the totality of the annular plates define the central passage; and a plurality of walls each having an arcuate outer contour, each of the walls being pivotally secured between adjacent ones of the plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates to define a plurality of releasably covered chambers therewith.
 2. The cosmetics container as recited in claim 1, further comprising a hollow cap releasably secured to the upper end of the inner portion, whereby the hollow cap is adapted for removably receiving a cosmetic blending sponge.
 3. The cosmetics container as recited in claim 1, wherein the lower segment comprises a cosmetic pencil sharpener.
 4. The cosmetics container as recited in claim 1, wherein a surface of the longitudinally extending panel is at least partially mirrored.
 5. The cosmetics container as recited in claim 4, wherein the inner portion further comprises at least one light source.
 6. The cosmetics container as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers has a semi-cylindrical contour.
 7. The cosmetics container as recited in claim 6, wherein the lower segment has a cylindrical contour.
 8. The cosmetics container as recited in claim 7, wherein the central passage of the outer portion is a cylindrical passage.
 9. A cosmetics kit, comprising: a cosmetics kit comprising: an inner portion having opposed upper and lower ends, the inner portion comprising: a longitudinally extending panel having opposed upper and lower ends; an upper retaining portion mounted on the upper end of the longitudinally extending panel, the upper retaining portion having a corrugated surface defining a plurality of longitudinally extending recesses; a plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers releasably secured to the longitudinally extending panel; and a lower segment mounted on the lower end of the longitudinally extending panel; and an outer portion having a central passage formed therethrough, the central passage being adapted for removably receiving the inner portion, the outer portion comprising: a plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates, wherein the totality of the annular plates define the central passage; and a plurality of walls each having an arcuate outer contour, each of the walls being pivotally secured between adjacent ones of the plurality of longitudinally stacked annular plates to define a plurality of releasably covered chambers therewith; a plurality of cosmetic pens releasably held by the plurality of longitudinally extending recesses; and a cosmetic blending sponge.
 10. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 9, further comprising a hollow cap releasably secured to the upper end of the inner portion, whereby the hollow cap is adapted for removably receiving the cosmetic blending sponge.
 11. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 9, wherein the lower segment comprises a cosmetic pencil sharpener.
 12. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 9, wherein a surface of the longitudinally extending panel is at least partially mirrored.
 13. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 12, wherein the inner portion further comprises at least one light source.
 14. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of longitudinally stacked drawers has a semi-cylindrical contour.
 15. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 14, wherein the lower segment has a cylindrical contour.
 16. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 15, wherein the central passage of the outer portion is a cylindrical passage.
 17. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 9, further comprising: a plurality of brushes; and a plurality of makeup containers.
 18. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 9, further comprising: at least one set of false eyelashes; and a container of eyelash adhesive.
 19. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 9, further comprising: a plurality of cosmetic mini-pens; a container of cosmetic powder; and a container of makeup remover.
 20. The cosmetics kit as recited in claim 9, further comprising a plurality of cotton swabs. 